Search This Blog

The FAA’s Probe into American Airlines Might End with Record Fine

According to government and industry officials, the Federal Aviation Administration is close to ending a two year probe into safety violations at American Airlines. Officials familiar with the inquiry told the Associated Press that the investigation could end with the airline receiving one of the largest fines in FAA history. This means that the fine amount could be greater than the $10.2 million fine proposed against Southwest Airlines in 2008, which is the largest fine the agency has given to date.

The FAA’s investigation is focused on improperly secured wiring in American Airlines 290 MD-80 planes. The loose wiring led to a potential fire threat and caused the temporary grounding of hundreds of planes in April 2008. The FAA has yet to comment on a fine and says that the investigation is still ongoing.

Also coming to an end is the Transportation Department inspector general’s inquiry into allegations of maintenance problems at American. In the next several days, the inspector general is expected to release an audit that voices his disapproval regarding the FAA’s lack of oversight of aircraft maintenance at American. Apparently, American’s maintenance issues (which involved ineffective aircraft landing gear and electrical problems in windshield heating systems) were brought to the inspector general by the Allied Pilots Association after FAA inspectors disregarded their complaints.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular Posts

Six people died on May 13, 2019, in a collision between two
floatplanes in Alaska that has safety experts cautioning passengers about small
aircraft. Alaska has been the site of three fatal small plane crashes in just
over one week, in addition to several across the US in recent months, highlighting
the many safety issues concerning small planes. Experts say the problem
lies in having fewer regulations over smaller, privately owned aircraft
compared with commercial airlines. Floatplanes Carrying Tourists
Both floatplanes involved in the collision carried tourists
from a Princess Cruises ship on a stopover in Ketchikan, Alaska. One of the
companies offered an excursion sold through Princess Cruises, while the other
was independently provided. The tourists were being taken to Ketchikan from the
Misty Fjords National Monument area at around 12:21 pm local time when the two
small planes—both float-equipped—collided at approximately 3,350 feet.
Bodies of 2 missing after Alaska float plane…

Hundreds of
passengers aboard a Viking Ocean Cruises ship experienced a dramatic rescue by
helicopter, with several later hospitalized, when the Viking Sky suffered
engine failure in the middle of incredibly stormy seas. Passengers told
reporters about their harrowing ordeals, either of being airlifted off the
listing ship in the darkness or remaining onboard and praying the vessel did
not sink. Officials are now questioning why the ship was in the sea at all,
given warnings about stormy weather, and how multiple engines failed at the
same time. Given the
number of people onboard the Viking Sky when its engines failed, it is
incredibly lucky that there were not more severe injuries, a common concern in boating accidents. What
Happened on the Viking Sky? On March
14, the Viking Sky cruise ship began a 12-day voyage from the city of Bergen,
in Norway. After it left the city of Tromso, on its way to Stavanger, the
ship's four engines shut down as the vessel encountered a massive storm…